- I was actually told once that I was too exotic for a role
which were talking about my insecurities
about my dual heritage.
Made me just think, "Well, maybe this isn't
the industry for me."
But things are changing and I think that's really exciting.
(gentle music)
I'm Jessie Mei Li, and this is "On The Rise."
(gentle music)
I always loved dressing up,
but it was always something that I just loved doing
with friends and things.
And I love doing school plays,
but I never really considered that
it could be something that I would actually end up
being able to do as a job.
Most of my time at school and college and things,
I sort of thought, "Well, I'm gonna go down
a very different route."
So I ended up going to university to study
French and Spanish, and I did have the best time.
I didn't really want to go in the first place.
So I ended up dropping out of university
and then having to just sit down with myself and think,
"Okay, what do I actually want to do?
What makes me happy?"
At the time, I started working as a teaching assistant
in a secondary school, which I loved,
it's such an amazing job.
And while I was doing that, I was looking after this family
and one of the kids, he decided he wanted to audition
for the National Youth Theater.
And I thought, "Oh, I'd quite like to do that as well."
So I went along on the same day he did,
and just sort of got a taste for it and started to meet
other people of my age who were thinking that
they wanted to pursue a career in theater and acting.
And it was making those friends that really
made me think, "Hey, maybe I can do this,"
and seeing loads of diverse faces.
It held me back a long time thinking, well,
being ambiguous-looking and being mixed race,
I felt like it was gonna make becoming that too difficult.
It ruined my confidence a bit 'cause I think I go along
to an audition and not be enough of anything.
But then so slowly over time, I just started
going to auditions and open castings whenever I could.
And I was just lucky.
I was in the right place at the right time.
So much of it, this industry, is who you know
or being in the right place at the right time
and I was really, really lucky.
(upbeat music)
Very first real audition.
Oh, it was for...
I'd seen this open casting for a TV show.
They were looking for a mixed-race actor and it was, yeah.
I'd only just done a four-week course
of National Youth Theater and that was it.
And so I went along to this audition
and it was obviously for a TV show and I was so nervous.
I was, you know, properly shaking.
And then after the second time I went in,
I just thought, "Well, I'm just gonna try
and have fun with it,"
because you can get yourself so wound up thinking,
"Oh, am I doing that right?
Am I doing this right?"
when really, your job as an actor is to show
the team what you can do and what you can offer,
and if that's not what they want, then that's okay.
It's not about you being a bad person
or being a bad actor or anything.
It's just you're not what they were looking for.
So I think having that mentality was really helpful.
I had some, around the same time,
some really bad audition experiences with
even for things like little short films where
I was actually told once that I was too exotic
for a role, which was, again, talking about
my of insecurities about my dual heritage.
Made me just think, "Well, maybe this isn't
the industry for me."
But things are changing and I think that's really exciting,
especially for an actor of color,
to be able to think, "Hey, I can be in a fantasy show,"
which is, like I said, something I never thought
that I would be able to do.
(gentle music)
I was the generation that grew up with "Lord of the Rings."
My brother and my cousins and my little friends,
we'd all run around in the park with sticks,
hitting each other.
I loved all the Chinese martial arts films as well.
I remember watching "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
over and over and over again
and acting out the fight scenes with my brother.
So I loved all of that stuff.
And I loved dark fairytales, like "Pan's Labyrinth"
and all these sort of fantastical world.
So obviously then, when this show came around
and the audition came around,
I was so excited because the child in me
was just jumping for joy because it was
something that I really, really love.
(gentle music)
So, the role of Alina in "Shadow and Bone" came up,
and I remember looking at all the breakdowns
and I saw that they were looking for a mixed-race actor.
I felt so connected to the character,
and one of the things that I really felt excited about
was the fact that I could see that they've made the change.
They've made Alina into a mixed-race character
when she wasn't necessarily in the books.
And first, my thoughts were, "Why? why are they doing that?
Is that just to tick a box?"
But then in the audition sides,
the scene was Alina talking about her background,
talking about her race and talking about her eyes,
specifically.
And I was like, "Okay, they're not shying away
from the less enjoyable parts of being mixed-race
and not shying away from the racism
that the Asian people face."
And that was really important to me.
So yeah, I was really, really excited
and just felt so connected to the character,
and I really liked her.
So, yeah, and then after a couple of rounds audition,
I remember I'd been told, "In a few days time,
you'll hear the answer."
And I was here at home and I got the call from my agents,
and I think we all just sort of, I dunno, screamed a lot.
(laughs)
I was so excited, and then had to wait a few months
before we actually started filming.
So it was a very, very long, long summer.
(upbeat music)
So, when Archie first chemistry read for Mal,
it was quite late on in the casting process.
I think a few of us have been cast already,
and I was doing chemistry reads
with a bunch of different actors for Mal,
and they were all so, so lovely and talented
but there was something that I felt was missing.
Archie had initially auditioned,
but then had got different jobs,
so didn't think he could do it.
Then he came back in again and he just walks
into the room and he was just like,
"Oh, all right. I'm Archie."
And immediately, he just had that thing
that I couldn't quite explain at the time.
There's warmth and vulnerability
but also this rawness to him.
It was seamless with Archie.
He just fell straight into it.
So we had that first chemistry and I was really excited,
and then he came back again.
And after the second chemistry read,
I coaxed him into having lunch with me.
And I sat there and I said,
"Oh, we're gonna have so much fun,
and the rest of the cast are amazing.
I've already met them."
And talking about all of the exciting things
that were gonna happen.
And Archie had to say, "Jessie, haven't got the role yet."
Just to remind me.
But then, lo and behold,
a week later, he got the part.
So I was just so happy that we had this
natural chemistry as well.
We're really good friends, which is so important
to capturing this beautiful friendship
between Mal and Alina.
(upbeat music)
I feel like the show raises some interesting questions.
And I think, especially regarding the relationships
that Alina has, I think there will be lots of debate
about what's right and what's wrong,
and I hope that people will watch the show
and see this diverse cast and be able to find someone
in the cast and a character in the show
that they really relate to because that is important.
And I think it can make the difference for someone,
Especially if you're going through the kind of
identity crisis that so many people go through
in terms of race and sexuality and things like that.
And when you see those things that you've gone through
being portrayed on-screen, it makes you feel less alone.
So I hope that people can watch this show
and feel seen and heard.
(upbeat music)
I actually thought I wasn't going to have social media,
especially when the show came out, because of,
you know, it can feel maybe a bit invasive,
or that you owe your following yourself.
And that can put a lot of pressure on you, I think,
to go out of your way to create content or whatever.
And I think it's important for my wellbeing
to remember that I don't exist for other people
and I exist for me and I want to be able to share
my experiences and things from the show,
behind the scenes stuff, so it does feel bizarre
to have people I don't know, know who I am.
And I think it will take some getting used to.
I'm quite private and I'm quite shy,
but also, at the same time, I am really proud of this show.
And I'm really proud of all my dear friends who were in it.
So in that sense, I'm really excited for it to come out
and I'm sure people will love it.
(upbeat music)
Over lockdown, actually, I wrote a few short film scripts.
More just for fun and just for something to do.
I really love film,
and I feel like if I were a better wordsmith,
I would have written a book, but I'm just not.
I'm way more of a visual person.
And I think, especially being so involved in the show
and being on set so often in "Shadow and Bone,"
and getting to see everyone behind the camera,
and all the work that went into it, it was really exciting.
And so, yeah, I would love to direct something one day.
I think someone else would probably
have to write the script.
(laughs)
But definitely something I'd be interested in doing.
(gentle music)
Okay, in five years, I think I would love to be,
well, maybe working on my first directorial debut.
And I'd love to be living somewhere out in the sticks
in the countryside, just getting fresh air, out of the city.
I'm fairly easily pleased,
so I don't really mind what happens to me,
but I hope I do get to have more adventures
and more experiences similar to
what I've had in "Shadow and Bone."
But we'll see.
(gentle music)